What a Brother Will Give
by HBofPoseidon'nGryffindorSeeker
Summary: What if harry wasn't an only child? What if he had a brother? Both Harry and his brother are neglected and abused by the Dursley's, but Harry more so. The wizarding world believes that it is Harry's brother who defeated Voldemort and Harry is forgotten about. Harry will do anything to protect his brother and this puts him in even more pain and danger then he gets in by himself.
1. Chapter 1

_**I solemnly swear that I am up to no good.**_

 **Disclaimer: NOT MINE**

 **AN: My first Harry Potter fan fiction. I hope it's not to bad. If you read this I ask, plead, that you tell me what you think and if I should continue with it. Let me know. I hope you enjoy this.**

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Chapter 1: _Just a Little Background_

A small boy lay on a thin mattress within the crowded restraints of a small cupboard that was clearly meant for cleaning supplies and not to be used as a bedroom for a child, or children in this dismal case of abuse and neglect. The cupboard was a small room that was only three feet by four feet, not nearly enough space for even one person. The mattress that this boy currently lay on was simply part of a larger one that had been cut to fit the room. The mattress did more than provide the children a slight escape from sleeping on the concrete floor, it was home to a family of mice that were seeking refuge from the rest of the house and a multitude of bugs and insects lived there as well. The children that used this as their bedroom had absolutely no fear of spiders because there were large spider webs clinging to the walls and the dying incandescent light-bulb that hung from the ceiling. Spiders were, in a sense, roommates to the children, as welcome as them in this cupboard. This light had long ago lost the chain that turned it on and off, forcing the children to have to unscrew the hot bulb every time they wanted it turned off. A small, rusting grate on the door, opened and closed for the outside, allowed them to distinguish the difference between night and day in the world beyond the 3 by 4 foot room, that is, when the grate was left open. Sometimes the boy on the mattress would be forced to spend days on end, even weeks, in the cupboard alone, without the other child, often without any natural light leaving only sounds to help the child determine the time of day. The boy wasn't only confined, but also starved which was nothing out of the ordinary for him. During these times the other boy got to use the spare bedroom upstairs. Yes, the family that these children were forced to claim as their own had a spare room but choose not to allow the children to use it. The children saw this as normal and not something that should be stopped. They were very wrong.

Sobs caused tremors to plague the child's small frame. He cried for the fact that while he was in the safe-haven, if it could be called such thing, of the cupboard his brother was being beaten for the first time in the living room.

Ever since the two brothers had been brought to the so called normal household of the Dursley family, located at number 4 Privet Drive, the child in the cupboard had always taken the blame for any mishap that ever had occurred within the lives of the Dursley's. Being as this was true it meant that this small boy had been beaten, abused and neglected countless times and in countless different degrees of cruelty. Why was this child and not his brother always chosen to take the blame and the damage? There are two answers to that; he had once sworn that he would always protect his brother and he intended to keep that oath and something, perhaps some form of magic, always drew the danger towards the one and not the other.

It had become normal for Vernon Dursley to grab this particular child over the other, since when they were only babies the one child had always put himself in front of his brother in a way to protect him and Vernon always seemed drawn to him. On this particular day, that the small boy lay in the cupboard while the other got the first beating of his life, the small boy felt as though he had betrayed the only person that ever meant anything to him and he swore that it would never happen again. The only reason that he was not being beaten was because he currently could not move due to the fact that he was both dying of starvation and his back had been ripped open by his uncle's, Vernon Dursley's, belt earlier that day.

Vernon's son, Dudley, had fallen off his bicycle earlier that morning. During his fall he managed to scrap both his right knee and left elbow. Since it was a Saturday, Vernon was home form work. The small boy had been weeding the garden, or at least trying to, even though it took more effort to keep himself up, do to his major lack in nutrition. Vernon naturally thought that it was the boy's fault that his son had fallen. So he had dragged the boy into the house, taken off his belt and wiped him until his back was nothing more then flesh, blood and in some places most disgustingly, bone. Obviously the boy fell into unconsciousness so his uncle lugged him down the hall and threw him into the cupboard that served as his bedroom.

It was for this reason that it was not the small boy in the cupboard being beaten, but his brother. Dinner had been slightly overcooked and so the wrath of Vernon Dursley was turned on the other boy.

It just so happened that the small dying boy was a boy known less so then his brother and completely forgotten about in the world of magic, witchcraft and wizardry. This boy's name was Harry James Potter. His brother was; on the other hand, quite famous with the magical folk because it was believed that he is the one that destroyed the darkest wizard of the time, Lord Voldemort. This child was named Alexander Lloyd Potter. His brother and those who knew him but weren't otherwise related, while the Dursley family called him "boy", often called Harry Potter, Harry. Alexander Potter was called Alexander by the Dursley's, Alexander Lloyd by the general public and called Loy by his brother.

These two boys, brothers, were more then that, they were more then mere siblings, brothers, friends or companions; they were twins. Once upon a time they had been identical twins, but although they remain genetically identical for that could never be changed, they were easy to tell apart upon close inspection. Harry was slightly shorter then Alexander Lloyd due to the damage that had been done to his body. While Alexander was horribly thin Harry was barley more then a skeleton. Harry's skin was slightly lighter and had a grayish tint to it, almost like that of a corpse, due to the immense amount of scares that riddled his body. Alexander's skin, while still very light, had a slightly darker hue then his brother's. Alexander Lloyd was, and had the appearance of, an overall healthier child.

But if you were looking on from afar at these two boys you would be unable to tell them apart. This fact alone could mean the survival of at least one of these two boys, for tricks can easily be played and a lack of attention to detail could cause one's plans to fail in what they originally planed to do and to whom it would be done.

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 **AN: I hope it was at least not torturous to read. Tell what you think. Should I keep going with this? Anyone know where Alexander Lloyd's name comes from? Thank you for reading and please review.**

 _ **Mischief managed.**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**I solemnly swear that I am up to no good.**_

 **AN: So I didn't get much response on the first chapter, by that I mean I got exactly one review, but that one person wanted me to keep writing it so, TazzieLuv13 this chapter is for you. I would especially like to thank TazzieLuv13 for reviewing and favouriting my story, Copperfiel for favouriting and TheGhost75 and WaldArya for following. Well that's it for thank yous. I'm glad the four of you liked it and I hope that the other 56 people who read didn't hate it. Anyway, here's chapter 2, it is significantly longer, actually my longest update ever, so PLEASE read and review.**

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Chapter 2: _P_ _anic_

Slowly, ever so slowly, Alexander Lloyd eased open the door to the cupboard under the stairs. His day had gone relatively well. Dinner had been successful in that it was made well and he had even gotten some of it to eat, a fairly rare occurrence. As the door opened wide enough for him to slip inside he quickly noticed the tremors in his brother's body. Harry was crying. He knelt next to him on the thin mattress and gently placed a slender hand with long delicate fingers on his brother's shoulder. Harry flinched largely at the contact. For a moment Alexander feared he had touched Harry's back before realizing that he merely startled him.

"Harry?" he softly voiced, "can you hear me?" The only response he got was a slight nodding of Harry's head. "What's wrong? Please tell me?" he prompted his brother.

"'m sorry," Harry slurred. Alexander started, wondering what his brother was on about. Fear bubbled up inside him as the thought of his greatest worry grew inside him. He recalled what he had read in a book about starvation. _After a prolonged time without food and/or drink one begins to hallucinate. These visions are not necessarily of good or bad things. This can cause many different effects on the victims remaining time of life. If the vision is one that evokes despair or guilt it can shorten the survival time. When death is near the hunger and pain will vanish and in its place there will be a sense of calm and mental clarity._

"Harry what are you apologizing for?" Alexander asked hoping that it was for some little thing like wishing that it was he who had been beaten.

"I let ya down, Loy. I shoulda been da one beaten not ya. I gotta protect ya." Harry's slurred words were barley audible.

Alexander swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat. "Harry, do you remember when we read that book on starvation last month?" Harry shook his head. Alexander wondered if his brother was losing his memories. If so how long would it be until he didn't remember their past together. He decided to retell Harry what he needed to know. "Well, a side effect of starvation is seeing and hearing things. You may think I was being beaten but I wasn't. You hear that Harry? I'm fine I wasn't being hurt."

"But I'm not starving. I'm not even hungry." Harry looked so confused and lost that the sadness that Alexander felt for his twin was multiplied tenfold by the fact that Harry didn't know he was so close to death.

Carefully Alexander Lloyd leaned over his brother's prone body just in time to see Harry's eyes roll back into his head. Quickly he rushed from the cupboard under the stairs to the phone that was on the kitchen counter. Relief surged through him when he noted that the Dursley's had already went to bed. He cursed that the rotary phone's dial didn't move at the speed he would have liked it to. As quickly has the phone would allow Alexander dialed 9-9-9. Finally, after what was an agonizingly slow series of clicks, the operator of the emergency numbers voice could be heard through the phone.

"What is your emergency?" the feminine voice asked.

"My brother is dying!" Alexander almost yelled into the phone. "Please send an ambulance to number 8 Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey." When the operator gave confirmation, Alexander Lloyd hung up the phone and returned to the cupboard. He carefully picked up his brothers emaciated body and silently left the house. He made his way down the street to the house identical to the one they had just left. The only difference between the two houses was that while the first had a metal 4 on the door the one the two boys were now in front of had an 8.

A few minutes later the siren of an ambulance could be heard coming nearer. At last it pulled up in front of the boys. A paramedic, upon jumping out of the truck, took the too light load of Harry Potter from Alexander Lloyd's arms and climbed back in. Alexander took one last look down the street, at the house he would never be able to call home again after this night, and followed the man with his twin into the ambulance.

Meanwhile, in an office high above the ground on a tower of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, one of the many magically objects belonging to Albus Dumbledore began the whirl, flash and emit a most irritating of noises. A black clad, sneering man, a stern, grandmotherly woman, a squat, gray haired woman, and a tiny, bouncy man halted their departure from the room. They turned, all eyes landing on one man, Albus Dumbledore, and were thoroughly surprised. They had never seen the man panic before and that was the only word that could be used to describe his current condition.

Albus was in the process of trying to pick his jaw up from the ground but failing, his eyes were wide with no twinkle to be found in their blue depths and he was shaking while uttering noises that were not forming into words.

He shakily stood and began walking towards the shelf that contained the object that was the cause of this rare scene. He had his eyes trained on said object while the four other occupants of the room and one fiery bird watched him. Slowly and carefully Albus lifted the gadget from the shelf and inspected it. Tacking out his wand he tapped it three times muttering " _vigilate finem._ " At this silence suffocated the room as the noises, flashing and whirling ceased.

After minutes of undisturbed silence ticked by the black clad man stepped forward, "Albus?" was the only word he muttered. Although it was only a whisper it was enough to cause the silence that had encased them to shatter.

The old man raised his head a met the eyed of the man, "the protection has been broken. The boy-who-lived is no longer safe." At this he received a look of comprehension from the man in black and three stares of confusion from the others. "The boy was protected by strong magical wards at the Dursley house as long as he could call the place where his mother's blood dwells home. Evidently that is no longer true," he glanced down at the object that remained in his hand before taking in the people in front of him. They all understood now.

"We have to do something! We can't just let the child remain unprotected. Who knows, there may be… _his_ followers out there," The grandmotherly woman said with concern while the other woman and tiny man nodded rapidly in agreement.

"Yes, something must be done Minerva," Albus responded toward the stern woman.

During this exchange the black clad man stood with a look on his face that was a combination of pensiveness and a scowl. Albus turned his attention to this young man, "Severus, what is it that you're thinking of?"

"You keep referring to one child, I thought there were two brats," he mused with distaste and carefully enunciated words. This caused Albus to take on an expression of great thought.

"Ah, yes you are accurate. I completely forgot there are two of them. Alexander Lloyd has a twin brother, I believe. Oh what is his name?" After a few moments of unyielding thought Albus sighed, "I simply cannot recall the child's name. No need, he is not the important one." This shocked the occupants of the room greatly. The great and good Albus Dumbledore had just disregarded a child.

"Should we bring them to Hogwarts?" tiny Flitwick squeaked. He was eager to meet the famed boy and provide the protection that was needed.

"Well we need them in a safe place, it looks as if Hogwarts is the only option we have," Albus told the small man.

"You want safe? You could always lock them in a Gringotts vault," Severus stated in a matter-of-fact way, "what? It's safe," he added at the others looks of disbelief and anger.

"How dare you," Sprout interjected, "this is not a joking matter a child's life is on the line and you want to lock him in a vault? You disgust me Snape," venom dripped from her voice. This display was quite strange to see from the usually calm tempered Pomona Sprout.

"I was just saying…I have potions attend to," Snape murmured, directing the last at the headmaster, as he headed for the door.

"Very well Severus," Dumbledore stated. "The boys will be brought to Hogwarts, but they will need to stay with someone while here and will also have to remain during the summer," with this he glanced pointedly at the three adults that remained. "Pomona?"

"I would love to, but I have no experience with being a parent and do not believe I would be ideal in watching these young boys. I can hardly even remember there are two of them."

"Filius?"

"Honestly, Albus, no one takes me seriously. My own house barley ever listens."

Finally his eyes landed on Minerva. "I suppose I did always want a son, but alas Elphinstone died. I will try my best to watch them."

Back in Surrey, Alexander Lloyd paced up and down the waiting room of St. Peter's Hospital much to the amusement of the receptionist. It wasn't very often that a young boy paced alone in a hospital in the middle of the night. She cleared her throat grabbing the boy's attention. "How old are you?" she asked when he looked up.

"Eight," was the only response she received. He was definitely small enough to be eight years old perhaps younger, it was the way he paced with his head down and hands clasped behind his back that made him seem older.

"Was that your brother they brought in?" she tried again.

"My twin," was the answer. _Why is it so hard to get him to talk? I just want him to calm down. He is too young to be this worried,_ she thought.

She was about to ask about the boy's parents when a doctor came into the waiting area. "Alex," he said, "would you please come with me?" The boy, Alex, looked taken aback at being called that, which raised curiosity in both the woman behind the desk and the doctor.

"Alex, my name is Dr. Mcguire and I have been taking care of your brother." At this Alexander Lloyd perked up. It was obvious that he cared deeply for his brother. "What is his name and how old is he?" at the questioning look he added, "We need it for the records."

"His name is Harry James Potter and he is eight years old, the same as me. We're twins," Alexander said with pride.

"Well how 'bout that," Dr. Mcguire said with a laugh twinkling at the corners of his eyes. He loved little kids and how proud they could be. Oh, to be young.

Finally they arrived at a door that was ajar. Dr. Mcguire pushed it the rest of the way open reveling a small form lying on the hospital. The black of his hair stood out clearly against the white of the sheets and pillow and the paleness of his skin.

Alexander Lloyd rushed forward to the side of the bed and looked down at his brother. His eyes traveled over his face and body and then up to the tubes that were connected to his arm and the many other machines that surrounded him emitting beeping sounds and other noises. The mask on Harry's face that covered his nose and mouth along with the contraptions that were making his lungs and heart work was what finally brought Alexander Lloyd to tears. He collapsed onto the bed next to his twin and sobbed as he clutched to the hand of the only person he loved and could call family.

Dr. Mcguire just watched on as pity for the boys rose in his chest. When he had been examining Harry he had not only found the child very near to dying of starvation, mere seconds away from death, but also obvious signs of harsh abuse mainly on the boys back. He had wondered if the boy's brother, Alex, whose name he had learned from the paramedic that brought them both in, also showed these signs.

After about half an hour of sobbing Alexander Lloyd fell asleep still clinging to his twin. Dr. Mcguire carefully lifted the now limp boy off the bed and carried him past the curtain that separated Harry Potter from the only other bed in the room. The doctor set Alex onto the bed and began examining him for signs of abuse. He found a few but nothing nearly as bad as his brother's. He called in a nurse, Christin Frazier, to monitor Harry and to inform him of any changes in Harry's condition or id Alex woke up. With that he pulled the curtain separating the beds back, so that upon waking up Alex could see Harry, and left the room.

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AN: I hope that it wasn't too bad. It was originally two chapters but since it's been so long I combined them. Please review it makes me want to keep writing and next chapter I'll tell you were Alexander Lloyd's name is from so please guess. Anyway if you're reading this thank you for reading.

 _ **Mischief managed.**_


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